1778
oil on canvas
61 x 50
In the portrait of Maria Alekseevna Dyakova (1755–1807), daughter of Procurator General of the Senate A.A. Dyakov, we see the embodiment of the aesthetic ideal of the Age of Enlightenment.
The colour range of the portrait is built on a subtle harmony of warm olive and rose tones developed through a countless diversity of nuances. The virtuosity of technique is seen in the texture of the materials – the airy scarf that so lightly embraces the sitter’s neck, the satin ribbon in her thick locks of hair.
Painterly manner of the portrait, the colouring and the dynamic pose of the figure in space spoke to the enlightened viewer of the beautiful spiritual world of the heroine, the refinement and elegance of her nature.
Ì.À. Dyakova later became the wife of Levitsky’s friend, the architect N.A. Lvov. She was a richly endowed with an artistic personality. She wrote poems and sang splendidly, especially Russian songs.
at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 5
